Light-dimmeb



H. E. MAY,

LIGHT DIMMER.

APPLlCATiON FILED FEB. 25. mm

1 93m? Patented June 2-11, 1919.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY 1E. MAY, OF SEDALIA, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MEETS, 01E ONE-HALFTO HOLMES HALL AND ONIE-FOURTH T0 W. D. OBANNON,

BOTH OF SEDALIA, MISSOURI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

LIGHT-DINNER.

Patented June 21, 1919.

Application fi1ed'1ebruary 25, 1918. Serial No. 218,996.

and useful Improvements in Light-Dimmers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists of a device for dimming the headlights of automobiles, street cars, locomotivesand the like and is adapted to be used as a shade for an ordinary hospital, bed-room, oflice, or other light. It can, also, be used on spotlights, searchlights, and the like.

Til the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which like numbers of reference denote like parts wherever they occur,

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken vertically through a headlight;

Fi 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 in F1g. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a sectional in Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 4: is a detail enlarged sectional view of the slats.

This invention will be described in connection with an automobile, but it will be understood that its use in other locations as hereinabove stated can be provided for by relatively slight changes, its position relative to the lens of lamps having front lenses and relative to the light-giving light in all instances being more or less the same, that is to say, in front of the light-giving lamps and where there is a lens being located between the same and the said lamp.

Lamps where this device will be useful are usually provided at the front with a glass lens 12. The device of this invention lies against the said glass 12 and is held in close engagement therewith by spring ring 13 which. is interposed between the edge 1.4: of hood 1 and the flange15 of the slat-bean ing device.

The threaded collar 16 screws upon the hood 1 as clearly shown in Fig. 1, the flange 17 thereon drawing the glass and flange 15 against spring ring 13. The slats, 18 in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are each provided with a lip 19 for the purpose hereinafter stated. For this purpose in the position shown in Fig. 1 has been view on the line 3-3 the lips 19 with the hood found the most eiiicient, both in affording adequate illumination and preventing glare. In actual practice it has been found that a person approaching an automobile having these devices on the headlights, whether such person be on foot or in another vehicle, can not see the bulb or lamp 8 and does a not suffer at all from glare from such headlights. On the other hand headlights thus equipped furnish adequate light to enable the driver behind them to see the road and thus to drive with safety.

The front side of flange 15 is painted with any kind of dull paint 22 and the same kind of paint 22 is applied likewise to the upper side of the slats 18, 20 and 21 and lips 19.

The side of flange 15 that faces the lamp 8 and the back or underneath side of the lips 19 and also the underneath side of each of the slats 18, 20, and 21 are preferably made of shiny substances, such for instance as tin. These shiny surfaces reflect the light from lamp 8 back to the reflector that is as usual found on the inner side of housing 1, which again reflects the same forward and out between the slats. The green or other dull colored paint at the places above mentioned prevents such reflection as will cause a glare in the eyes of anyone approaching a light equipped with one of these devices.

The effect of the shutterlike construction, especially when painted as above described, is to enable anyone to look directly at the brightest light without the slightest inconvenience, the radiance being directed toward the ground by the shiny surface of the underneath side of the slats.

The slats may be of any shape and may be formed in connection with flange 15 or otherwise attached thereto in any desired manner. Preferably they have the slope 23. Some broken up light, however, emanates from between the slats and around the sloped edges 23.

It will be noted that the slats 18 in Fig. 1 are arranged at an acute angle to the perpendicular, the flange 15 and the lens 12 being regarded as perpendicular.

Slope 23 prevents scratching the reflector and at the end of the slats allows the light to pass out from bulb 8 in such manner as to give a good, but non-glaring, illumination along the sides of the vehicle, which enables the driver to see the edge of the "hereby reserve the benefit of all changes in form, arrangement, order, or use of parts,-

as it is evident that many minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

The combination of a reflector, an annular frame in the forward end of the reflector, a plurality of parallel spaced bars extending horizontally across the frame, the body portion of each barbeing rearwardly body portion, the rear upper ed e of each bar being above the plane of t e bottom forward edge of the next bar above, the side edges of the bars tapering inwardly and terminating at their rear edges inside the plane of the inner surface of the annular frame to form openings between the bars on each side of the frame for the passage of direct rays of light, the upper surface of each bar being colored to dim the light and the lower surfaces acting as refiectors to distribute the rays of light.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my 7 signature.

HARRY E. MAY. 

